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On October 20, the Ministry of Defense will authorize deployment of the Scope of Authority Premium Warbond* – the next leap forward in long-range and clandestine combat solutions to guarantee your squad never misses the mark.

Weapons & Stratagems

The R-40 Sightliner bolt-action sniper rifle | The best sniper knows the balance of stability and power is a delicate one, and a primary sniper rifle that can balance both is a tall order. After extensive research and trials in the Ministry of Defense, they have developed an elegant solution: The R-40 Sightliner bolt-action sniper rifle. Your trusty sidekick with the eagle eyes, the Sightliner can provide powerful armor piercing rounds and long-range precision.

P-44 Mist | The perfect companion to the exactitude of a sniper rifle primary is something that can provide that same steadfastness with the speed and versatility of a pistol. That brings us to the purpose-built P-44 Mist, a one-handed machine pistol designed for a compact carry. If the enemy closes in on you, carve a path out with the help of the P-44!

AMW-20 Apex | As we have faced larger and more heavily-armored foes, we have responded by making a more powerful and armor-penetrating, backpack-fed, colossal anti-materiel rifle featuring assisted reload: the AMW-20 Apex. The Apex is far from subtle, but there is not much in the galaxy that could survive an assault from it.

LAS-44 Nova | For the advanced tech-loving teams, there is a new entry to the LAS series of energy weapons: the LAS-44 Nova! This sleek rifle has the luxury of infinite ammo provided by weapons of its type, but it fires a high-precision non-explosive thermal projectile after a short charge cycle. A new optimization routine designed specifically for better cooldown performance means your rifle will be firing longer after all targets have been eliminated.

G-11 Caltrops  | When thrown, the G-11 Caltrops scatters a wide field of proximity-detonated submunitions that slow and stun foes, making them easier to get in your sights.

Armors, passive, and more

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Long distance shooters know better than anyone how much time you spend in the cover of nature to get your shot. That’s why the SS-33 Mimetic Marshal light armor is inspired by old-fashioned ghillie suits without sacrificing on modern tactical polish. Utilizing state-of-the-art light-diffusing netting and adaptive fiber technology, the Mimetic Marshall, and the coordinating Mimetic Mesh cape and player card, will let you blend into your surroundings while keeping you light enough on your feet to move in on your mark.

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If your tactical approach mixes in more forward marching than camping in the bushes, the SS-15 Focal Point medium armor can round out the edges of your loadout with integrated adaptive camouflage and cutting-edge optics in a stylish asymmetrical visor. The Focal Point armor looks best paired with the Boundary Banner cape and player card.

No matter which one you choose for the job, both armors are equipped with the Stationary Shroud passive, which reduces weapon sway and detection range by mimicking foliage concealment while in the crouched or prone position. Crouch down and watch as your Helldiver disappears into the wilderness around you: the perfect cover.

Along with the impressive stratagems, weapons, and armors, you’ll also get the Manual Ballistic Projection emote and a new title to claim to demonstrate your prowess as a distance shooter: Longshot.

Helldivers, your scope of authority has just been widened – time to set your sights on enemies of Managed Democracy once and for all. The Scope of Authority Premium Warbond launches October 20!

*Requires base game, Super Credits and game progression to unlock.

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Whether you played the first game or not, Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School is open to everyone and represents a more fully-realized campus experience. We want the Academy to feel like a place players can get lost in, filled with characters, quests, secrets, and plenty of reasons to explore between escapes.

Welcome (back) to campus

Our campus is broken up into several distinct sections, each filled to the brim with quests and puzzles for you to encounter throughout the journey. For this lesson, we’re sharing new details on the Headmaster’s Tower and Humanities Campus, which makes a more expanded return from the first game after [spoiler!] Quanty burned down the library in the first game.

The Headmaster’s Tower was one of the first spaces we worked on when designing the updated visuals in Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School and it inspired the most discussion about how to make a space feel truly “Academic” and further push the worldbuilding before expanding on each location’s unique identities. Players will get a sense of the Academy’s history more than ever with this area while still discovering plenty of playful and strange puzzles.

This also led us back to the Headmaster’s Office, which was the setting of our very first escape in the original Escape Academy. The location became our visual target as we began leveling up the art style for Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School. We hope players will see how we pushed the visual identity of the Academy further while still making it recognizable to returning players.

From concepts to being fully realized, the Humanities Campus has seen the most deviation from the first entry’s 2D map layout. It was a fun challenge designing this game to be more open world as we went through a lot of iteration with this area. At first, things felt too open, and we eventually found lots of new ways for players to engage with the area like interactable landmarks, side quests and escapes.

As the art director, one of my favorite parts of building the game has been making the world itself part of the experience. Puzzles aren’t strictly limited to rooms anymore. This campus itself will reward you for staying curious.

Because part of the Humanities Campus had to be rebuilt after the first game’s story, I expanded on the classical architecture inspiration from the original game’s library design. Compared to the rough and gritty industrial vibes of the Science Campus, or the colorful Arts Campus, I wanted to give this area a cozier feel, that might encourage a quiet coffee break or a philosophical puzzle discussion amongst students, while still inspiring some sense of mystery and discovery between its faculty offices, classrooms and library. 

You won’t have access to the Humanities Campus right away, but you’ll catch glimpses of it often with a striking keyhole-shaped fountain that can be seen across some of the best sightseeing spots on campus for you and the other students. This is intentional as we designed the campus itself to be its own living, breathing puzzle for you to unravel; we want exploration to feel as rewarding as puzzle-solving. Our hope is to create moments where players see something interesting before they understand how to reach it.

We also hid a lot of keyhole embellishments all around the Academy, see if you can find them all.

That’s all for today’s lesson. The team and I are thrilled to be bringing Escape Academy 2: Back 2 School back to PlayStation fans around the world when the game launches for PlayStation 5 on November 5. We can’t wait for players to explore the Academy, uncover its secrets, meet new and returning faces, and discover that there’s much more to this school than meets the eye.

Stay tuned for more updates about the game.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

Hey, y’all! O’Dell and Kristen are back this week to talk about games we recently wrapped up, our newest adventures, and check in on listener letters (email us a pspodcast@sony.com). Plus, Jim and Gillen return to interview Fuse Games co-founder Matt Webster and Creative Director Kieran Crimmins about the recent launch of Star Wars: Galactic Racer.

Stuff We Talked About

• Next week’s release highlights:
  • Valor Mortis | PS5 (October 13)
  • Planet Zoo 2 | PS5 (October 13)
  • Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 | PS5 (October 14)
  • The Witch’s Bakery | PS5 (October 14)
  • Ratatan | PS5 (October 14)
  • Bluey’s Happy Snaps | PS5 (October 15)
  • Castlevania: Belmont’s Curse | PS5 (October 15)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 DMZ deep dive  —  Get all the details on the returning extraction mode coming to the latest entry when the game launches on October 23. Learn the tactics you need for a successful run and how to use your Forward Operating Base and other tools.

Warhammer Survivors arrives November 10 — Check out new characters like Morvenn Vahl and the unique ways you can take out endless hordes of enemies in this unexpected crossover. 

The Cast

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O’Dell Harmon Jr. – Content Communications Specialist, SIE

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Kristen Zitani – Content Communications Manager, SIE

Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

call_me_xavii  shares Wolverine facing off against Omega Red

NemesisNatVP shares a warm portrait of Jean

calisarah1998 shares Sabretooth and Wolverine ready to attack

scionjay96 shares a portrait of Mystique

John_Varela_R shares a showdown between Deathstrike and Jean

spideroftsushima shares a shadowy portrait of Nathaniel Essex

Search #PSshare #PSBlog on Twitter or Instagram to see more entries to this week’s theme, or be inspired by other great games featuring Photo Mode. Want to be featured in the next Share of the Week?

THEME: Marvel’s Wolverine – Suits
SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on October 14, 2026

Next week, share your favorite looks from Marvel’s Wolverine using #PSshare #PSBlog for a chance to be featured.

For anyone just discovering us: Rockbeasts is a rock and roll management RPG. You’re not the frontman, not the drummer, but the manager. Your job is to take a band from a garage full of ego, feedback, and half-finished songs, all the way to the biggest stages out there. Along the way, you’ll juggle resources, wrangle personalities, put out fires (sometimes literal ones), and try to keep the whole beautiful mess together long enough to make it big.

Games like this, the ones driven by feeling rather than formula, don’t play nice with algorithms. They’re harder to pitch, harder to categorize, harder to put in front of the people who’d actually love them. We knew that going in. We also knew that if this idea ever got the right support behind it, it could become something much bigger than what we could build alone.

That support has arrived.

We’re beyond proud to share that Lichthund is partnering with Critical Role, both creatively and on the publishing side. Their experience, talent and honestly, their taste for stories with real heart, combined with everything we’ve poured into our game, is exactly the combination we always hoped for. This partnership is what should let Rockbeasts become the game we always wanted it to be, instead of the game we had to settle for.

It took us a moment to get here. And there’s still a lot we need to handle as we want to make Rockbeasts the best version of itself. But we’re ready. As if we were to enter a rock stage ourselves.Matthew Mercer and Sam Riegel will share that stage with us, as they are officially joining Rockbeasts’s cast. Seeing our characters played by them is a dream come true. If you know Critical Role (and if you don’t, please do yourself a favor and check them out), you know what these two bring to a character: chaos, heart, and a level of commitment that makes a script feel like a true adventure. That’s exactly the energy our game needs, because managing a band this unhinged was never going to be a quiet job. And there’s more to come, so please stay with us on this last mile leading to the release – and here’s the second, equally exciting part…

Rockbeasts launches on PS5 in January 2027!

That’s when you’ll finally get to sit in the manager’s chair, wrangle your own beautifully broken band, and try to get them to the stage they deserve – in one piece, if you’re lucky.

We’ve been building toward this moment for a long time. For those of you already with us – thank you from the bottom of our hearts for believing in something a little different. For those we’re just about to meet – welcome and enjoy the tour.

You can wishlist Rockbeasts now in preparation for launch in January 2027.

Arriving on November 2, Phoenix Cyclops (voiced by Ray Chase) brings a unique fighting style that combines a wide variety of Optic Blast attacks with the devastating power of the Phoenix Force. On the same day, Cyclops’ “Classic” and “Legacy” DLC costumes will also become available.

If you’ve been waiting for Cyclops to join MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls and haven’t picked up the game yet, now is a great time to jump in. The game’s first-ever sale on PlayStation Store begins today, ahead of his arrival with the Ultimate Edition available at a discounted price.

PlayStation Plus subscribers will also be able to try MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls with a 3-hour Game Trial starting today.

Today, I’d like to share more about why we chose Phoenix Cyclops instead of the traditional version of Cyclops, the thought process behind his character design, his gameplay mechanics, and the inspiration behind his DLC costumes.

Why Phoenix Cyclops?

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Early in development, Cyclops was one of the leading candidates to join the roster as a member of the Unbreakable X-Men team.

Cyclops has appeared in numerous Marvel fighting games over the years, and his visual identity and battle style have become firmly established through that long history. Because of that, we challenged ourselves to explore whether there was a way to present him in a style that felt different from what players had seen before. This became a major topic of discussion within the team.

During those discussions, our narrative team proposed the idea of using the Phoenix version of Cyclops. We felt this interpretation would allow us to create fresher visuals and a more exciting fighting style while offering something unexpected for players.

As a result, we made the difficult decision to continue working on the character until we felt like we were adding something new to his fighting game legacy. As a result, we’re excited to now release Phoenix Cyclops as our first post-launch DLC character.

Character design

Phoenix Cyclops hopes to tame a destructive power to save mutantkind from extinction. This version of Scott Summers believes in absolute justice and is willing to make difficult decisions and take extreme actions when necessary.

At the same time, we wanted to convey the inner conflict and emotional burden that comes with those choices. To help express that side of his personality, we intentionally gave him a somewhat younger appearance to contrast the incredible aura of the Phoenix Force. With Phoenix Cyclops’ transformed state, we wanted to illustrate his shift from idealistic leader to fiery corruption.  

While the overall Phoenix costume remains faithful to its source material, we incorporated details and visual touches inspired by the comics throughout the design process. Above all, our goal was simple: to make him look as cool as possible.

Gameplay and skills

Cyclops is designed as an all-rounder who excels at both long-range combat and close-range strikes through his versatile use of Optic Blasts.

Empowered by the Phoenix Force, he can also unleash wide-area fire-based attacks that control large portions of the screen. In addition to projectiles, rushing attacks, throws, and setup tools, he has access to a wide variety of Optic Blast techniques.

As players continue to use Optic Blasts, they accumulate Phoenix Force energy called Solar Shards. Once four Solar Shards have been collected, Cyclops can transform into his Dark Phoenix form.

This mechanic was inspired by the Avengers vs. X-Men storyline, in which Cyclops became one of the Phoenix Five and eventually absorbed the power of his fellow teammates, transforming into Dark Phoenix.

Entering Dark Phoenix form grants a significant temporary power boost, but it also comes with risks, including health depletion.

The Phoenix Force is both an incredible source of power and a path to destruction. Successfully managing and controlling that power will be one of the keys to victory.

DLC costumes

When we decided to make Phoenix Cyclops the base version of the character, we understood that many fans would prefer the classic appearance they have known and loved for years.

This isn’t unique to Cyclops. Anyone who grew up reading comics or watching animated adaptations has their own vision of what these characters should look like.

Because of that, whenever we significantly reinterpret a character’s design or choose a relatively uncommon version of a character, we approach development with the expectation that classic-inspired costumes should also be available.

The “Classic” and “Legacy” costumes were created with that philosophy in mind. We hope players enjoy experiencing Phoenix Cyclops in whichever style they prefer.

Play Phoenix Cyclops first at EVO France

It’s hard to believe that nearly two months have passed since launch. To everyone who continues to play the game every day, thank you for your incredible support.

Players attending EVO France from October 9-11 will also have the opportunity to be among the first in the world to try Phoenix Cyclops. If you’re attending the event, we hope you’ll stop by the MARVEL Tokon: Fighting Souls booth and give him a try.

Thank you again for your continued support, and we look forward to sharing more with you soon.

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Eagle-eyed fans who have been following the game for a while may have noticed Morvenn Vahl in the game’s key art, and we’re really excited to show her off in full pixel art glory finally. Warhammer Survivors allows you to play in both the Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Age of Sigmar universe, so her counterpart (as part of today’s reveal) is Lyssa Revenya, a skilled thief and tomb-robber. 

While both champions take prime position in today’s spotlight, they couldn’t be more different. 

Who is Morvenn Vahl? 

Formerly a young Celestian Superior, Morvenn Vahl was chosen to become High Abbess Sanctorum – supreme commander of Adepta Sororitas. Vahl is an iron-willed warrior, suffering no fools and certainly no heretics. Dissatisfied with commanding from the safety of the Imperium, Vahl spearheads many crusades personally, leading from the front. 

How does she destroy the endless swarms of Tyranids, Death Guard Plague Marines, and Orks? 

As one of our larger Warhammer Survivors characters, Vahl strides across the battlefield in her ornate Paragon Warsuit. She’s armed with the devastating Heavy Bolter Fidelis, which sprays an arc of projectiles obliterating her foes. The weapon also has a chance to trigger a miracle, blessing Vahl and increasing the weapon’s rate of fire. 

Fidelis can be evolved to the Purgator Mirabilis, which unlocks the use of the warsuit’s Paragon Missile Launcher, unleashing a sporadic salvo of explosions across the battlefield – in addition to Fidelis’ spray of bolter shells. 

Enemies of Imperium, beware! 

Thief, Tomb-Robber, Saviour of Cinderfall – who is Lyssa Revenya? 

We’re moving to the Mortal Realms next. 

Lyssa Revenya is a talented thief and an integral member of the Saviours of Cinderfall, a rag-tag band of heroes who scoured the streets of Hammerhal and put an end to those plotting the city’s demise. Originally hailing from Lethis, Lyssa is well-versed in the art of navigating trap-ridden crypts and catacombs of that morbid city. 

Lyssa’s unique toolset for breaking and entering – and slaying hordes of Skaven 

In Warhammer Survivors, Lyssa turns her signature tools for breaking and entering into weapons. The Rope and Grapnel shoot hooks in from random edges of the screen, colliding with specific points on the battlefield, damaging enemies and dragging away any who survive. It’s the perfect weapon for a nimble thief who likes to stay more than a sword-length from their enemies. 

When the Rope and Grapnel evolves, Lyssa communes with the spirit of Rhea, a former ally and mentor. This terrifying, screaming banshee soars across the battlefield, exploding into a vengeful cloud of damaging ghostly fog. Perhaps in the right hands, Lyssa’s Rope and Grapnel can be utilised to pull enemies toward the Ghost of Rhea’s vengeful uproars? There’s only one way to find out. 

Warhammer Survivors launches on November 10; Morvenn Vahl and Lyssa Revenya are just two of over 40 playable champions waiting for you in-game. You can wishlist and pre-order on PlayStation 5 starting today, and PlayStation Plus members will receive a 10% discount when pre-ordering.

Forward Operating Base

The Forward Operating Base (FOB) is your command center for DMZ. Manage progression, prepare your gear, and plan the next deployment. As you complete Operations across Hajin, the FOB evolves with you, transforming from a foothold to a fully operational base with over a dozen different Stations. Here’s a look at the stations you can immediately access:

• Operators: Manage and select your Active Duty Operator, check their status, and select one for deployment.
• DMZ Orders: Where you review your current set of Missions downloaded to your Orders Tablet. Earn rewards for completing these structured objectives during deployments.
• Stash/Loadout: Stow looted items you’ve extracted with in your Stash. Equip weapons and gear in your Loadout, ready for the next infil.
• Firing Range: Test your equipped weapons at the FOB Firing Range against a variety of targets.  
• Deploy: A threshold of razor wire leads to a heavy-lift military transport waiting for your orders to deploy.

Continue successful deployments within Hajin, and focus on expanding your base with more stations. Here’s what you can unlock:

• 3D Printer: Use Resources and 3D Printer Ingredients to craft a variety of gear. This is also used to upgrade various stations in the FOB.
• Gunsmith: Loot weapons and return with them, then use DMZ Cash to purchase attachments, or build brand new weapons by extracting from Hajin with a Weapon Manual.
• Vendor: Check the vendor’s wares and spend DMZ Cash on a selection of weapons and other helpful gear. The items on sale rotate from day to day, so buy something when you see it.
• Bounty Leaderboard: Gain intel on the most dangerous PvP Bounty hunters and killers active across Hajin.
• Boss Board: Need to track down a high-value target? Seek intel on Lieutenants, then drop into Hajin, search them out, and face down the exclusion zone’s most dangerous foes.
• Dog Tag Case: Display your trophies from defeated Operators.
• DMZ Progression: Ensure you’re leveling up in DMZ with this dedicated Progression Track, from 1-70. Unlock FOB stations and gain rewards every step of the way.

Deployment

Customize your match experience by choosing one of three deployment options: 

• Story Missions: Select and replay narrative objectives across Hajin for big rewards.
• Dynamic Operations: Deploy directly into a Dynamic Op to earn DMZ Cash and XP. Every completed Operation provides a Supply Drop of increasing rarity for your squad. 
• Free Roam: Deploy without a mission and lose yourself exploring Hajin City. 

Tips for gaining DMZ XP

Story Missions, Dynamic Ops, Orders: Prioritize completing Story Missions, Dynamic Ops, and Orders to earn valuable gear and big DMZ XP payouts.

Boss Hunt: Hunt down Lieutenants and Commanders to earn major rewards. These tough enemies roam the map in different locations around Hajin, and when defeated, award plenty of XP along with their weapons and high-value loot.

Loot Up: Loot consistently to acquire new items, use them at the 3D Printer back at your Forward Operating Base, and to improve your match rating.

After Action Report: Fight the enemy, loot, and complete objectives to improve your overall deployment rating. Strive for an S Tier performance (or better) for the best rewards.

Vehicles: Take advantage of the numerous vehicles throughout Hajin for faster travel across land, water, and air. Repair and refuel vehicles at the Gas Station.

Threat Levels and more

Each area of Hajin has a particular Threat Level associated with it. If you’re too loud, expect a violent enemy response specific to the area you’re in. It may be wise to be stealthy.

This just scratches the surface of DMZ. Squad up and experience the exciting new game mode firsthand at launch and expect additional content in the updates to come.

Modern Warfare 4 is available for pre-order now on PlayStation 5, launching October 23.

What is the voting criteria? That’s up to you! If you were only able to recommend one new release to a friend that month, which would it be? Note: re-released games don’t qualify, but remakes do. We define remakes as ambitious, larger-scale rebuilds such as Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Final Fantasy VII Remake.

How are nominees decided? The PlayStation Blog editorial team will gather a list of that month’s most noteworthy releases and use it to seed the poll.

Email us at PSPodcast@sony.com!

Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or download here

Hey, y’all! Tim and Kristen are back this week to chat through news from the week and games we can’t stop playing. Plus, Gillen stops in to interview Ghost of Yōtei actor Erika Ishii to celebrate the release of the game’s Complete Edition and its one year anniversary.

Stuff We Talked About

• Next week’s release highlights:
  • Kingdom Hearts I-III | PS5 
  • Star Wars: Galactic Racer | PS5 
  • Deck of Haunts | PS5 
• Ghost of Yōtei Complete Edition
• The Blood of Dawnwalker (Kristen gets its name right this time)
• Silent Hill: Townfall
• Onimusha: Way of the Sword
  
• God of War Laufey pre-orders available now, editions detailed – All the juicy details on pre-order bonuses, Digital Deluxe Edition, some peeks at Faye’s armor coming in those editions, and a highlight of Faye’s Serpent Bow combat.
• How Control Resonant’s art design and tech shaped its bosses, paranaturally-twisted Manhattan and more – Deep dive into Remedy’s inspirations, how they designed Dylan and his combat animations, the twisted version of Manhattan, liminal spaces, boss fights, and PS5 features
• PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October: F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2
• Kena: Scars of Kosmora launches 2027– Ember Labs offers a development update, as well as a new look at Kena’s spirit companion

The Cast

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Tim Turi – Content Communications Manager, SIE

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Kristen Zitani – Content Communications Manager, SIE

Thanks to Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]